Quietly and Softly
by Amledo
Summary: Just a little Steve and Tony get together fic. Fluffy stuff inside and an Avengers betting pool.
1. Chapter 1

(A/N: I don't own the Avengers, and I'm going to say that now because I don't want to piss anyone off. This one is a purely Steve/Tony fic and yes that means that it is slash, that's gay stuff, in case you didn't know. I wanted to write a pointless fluff piece, and so I am.)

Quietly and Softly

Tony Stark rarely found a moment to relax, because his brain would not let him have one. He couldn't stop, sometimes; sometimes he didn't finish one project before he started on the next. He was a whirlwind of activity and thought. Occasionally he paused long enough to pass out for a few hours, and sometimes his dreams were blissfully free of new ideas. On an increasing number of occasions his dreams centered on a certain Super Soldier and he didn't have the good conscience to feel guilty about the things that he did in his subconscious. Even though it was starting to mess with his normal method of thought, distracting him with thoughts that he shouldn't have at moments when he shouldn't have them; he didn't do anything to change it.

"Tony, hey Tony!" Steve was running into the lab like and excited kid, the shield that Tony had just finished constructing was strapped to his arm. Tony sat up from the bike that he had been working on and wiped grease stained hands on a white towel before running his fingers through his hair. He turned dark coffee colored eyes on the energetic blonde and smiled a bit, not thinking about concealing his feelings.

"Can I help you Steve? Shield isn't off balance is it?" Tony asked, one knee drawn up, arm draped over it as Steve stood above him. There was a smile on Steve's face that did awful things to Tony's heart and the Arc Reactor brightened in response. It was a good thing that Steve hadn't quite worked out how the chest piece worked in relation to Tony's pulse rate or they would be in trouble already.

"No, it's perfect actually. I didn't even know that it could be this manageable. No, what I wanted to ask was if you were up for a bit of a break," Steve said softly, that innocent smile tugging at Tony's heart. He couldn't say no, and the bike wasn't a pressing matter. So when Steve held out his hand that smile brilliant on his face, Tony took it and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet.

"I think I could use a break," Tony found himself agreeing and walked beside Steve on the way out of the lab. He hadn't even thought to ask what sort of break they would be taking; he just wanted to be with Steve. Damn his subconscious and the dreams that he had and the way it kept him from saying no to that handsome face and those beautiful blue eyes.

"Good, because everyone else is out and I just found out. You were the last person that I wanted to disturb, but I figured that I was willing to risk you being upset since I was lonely…" Steve was rambling and Tony was okay with that. It gave his mind some time to appreciate the fact that he and Steve were alone in the mansion. He didn't know how long it would last, but that didn't stop his thoughts from going places that they really shouldn't have.

"Tony, are you okay? You seem out of it," Steve said in quiet confusion, his blue eyes suddenly not very far away from Tony's brown ones. Tony swallowed thickly and shook his head, it was no good. Perhaps his next actions would be forgiven as exhaustion, because he couldn't stop himself. He leaned up; hands sliding to cradle either side of Steve's face and pressed his lips against the blonde man's.

The kiss was so much more than what Tony could have ever dreamed, and when he felt those soft lips kissing him back, his heart nearly stopped. They tripped backward, falling against a wall; Tony's back absorbing the impact and the kiss continuing uninterrupted. Steve's arms slinked around Tony's waist and pressed them closer. Soon the kiss deepened and Tony could taste Steve in his mouth, all smooth mint and a hint of lemon. They were forced to break apart for air, but Steve made sure that they didn't go far, leaning his head against Tony's and breathing deeply.

"I'm okay now, I think. By God I needed that," Tony breathed and smiled into the kiss when Steve crushed their mouths together in another heated exchange. It didn't matter anymore that he should have been guilty, because it seemed that the object of his fantasy was also interested.

"How long have you been waiting to do that?" Steve asked, and Tony figured that if the Super Soldier could be breathless, he would be. But as it was, Tony was the one gasping for breath and Steve looked ready to kiss him until the world ended, which honestly could happen any second with Thor out showing Loki the sights.

"Honest answer? Or the one that makes me look less pathetic?" Tony replied by way of a joke and Steve's hand was there, cradling his cheek, forcing their eyes to meet.

"That long then?" Steve said and seemed impressed; Tony just nodded and allowed himself to be kissed once again.

Eventually they broke away from one another long enough for Tony to get them to the roof. The sun was still shining brightly and Tony convinced Steve to go for a swim with him. Not that they got any swimming done, more just treading water as they kissed one another senseless. They stayed there for hours, wound around one another in the deep end or relaxing with Tony draped over Steve's chest on the steps into the pool. Topics of discussion ranged from meaningless to critical analysis of a past battle and on to Tony's ideas for improving the equipment of his team.

"You do know that this isn't just…" Tony gestured vaguely off to the side, "I mean it, I really did fall in love with you, am in love with you," he said with all sincerity and Steve gave a smile.

"I know Tony. I do. And I love you too, have for a long time now," Steve whispered and pressed a kiss to Tony's forehead.

At the end of the day they laid together on a beach chair on the roof, watching the sun set and waiting for someone to come home. They figured that it would be for the best if everyone knew about them and all of the weirdness was gotten out of the way sooner rather than later. So when Thor and Loki arrived home, Steve did not remove his arms from around Tony's waist and Tony did not see the point in removing himself from between Steve's legs. The pair of Gods considered their comrades for a moment and Thor laughed heartily.

"You could have waited a week," Loki's voice was filled with amusement and twitched an eyebrow at Thor.

"What Loki means is that we are happy to see you two together. But that we would have won the bet if you had lasted a bit longer," Thor said and Tony's response was to giggle, Thor's brother was good for his articulation.

"Who won then?" Steve asked mildly amused, kissing the top of Tony's head.

"I did," Bruce said, popping out of the helicopter that he had shared with Clint and Natasha. Tony was quite glad of the modifications that he had made to the chopper, it had landed nearly silently. He realized quickly that the chopper had probably been the method their three allies had used to keep an eye on Loki. That would certainly explain why they had gotten home so quickly.

"Well good for you. Where did the Asgardian brothers get the money to be a part of a betting pool?" Tony questioned and Bruce laughed.

"The bet wasn't made in dollar amounts. We were betting on who had to deal with Fury the next time there's a minor call out. I just won an exemption," Bruce beamed and strolled off into the house.

"Not that I'll ever have to deal with Fury, of course," Loki said and sauntered off, Thor rolling his eyes and following after. Clint just shook his head and cursed his luck; Natasha was the only one that didn't seem to care. She gave Steve and Tony a cheeky smile and a wink and then they were alone again, watching the stars come out.

(A/N: So there's my first bit of actual Steve/Tony that I have written. Let me know what you think of it.)


	2. Chapter 2

(A/N: And this is lovely part 2 of yet another fic that I never thought I would add to. It wasn't that I didn't want to, but that I didn't have the ideas for it. But now that I do, I am back to make it happen. I don't own the Avengers, and I never will. Yes this is still Steve/Tony and that isn't going to change. I don't really know what else to say, so I'm going right on ahead and start the story.

Quietly and Softly

Part 2

Steve's shoulder ached and his fingers were asleep, but he didn't dare move because it was the first time that Tony had slept in the last four days. The billionaire was curled up, knees to his chest, arms draped around himself and his whole body tipped so that his head was pillowed on Steve's shoulder joint. The lack of sleep had left bruise-like circles under Tony's eyes and four days' worth of a beard on his cheeks.

It had been two hours since Steve had gone down to the lab and extricated Tony from some project or another, four nights in a row sleeping by himself in their bed had begun to wear on the Super Soldier. Tony it seemed, hadn't been aware of the time, but fell asleep almost as soon as Steve had pulled him into bed. They hadn't even lain down; they were still sitting with their backs propped up on pillows against the headboard.

Steve gently pressed his lips against Tony's forehead and closed his own eyes, letting his shoulder fade from his awareness and sleep claim his mind. Sleep always came more easily when he had Tony beside him to keep him warm.

Several hours later he woke to a soft knock at their door.

"Come in," he said softly, wrapping his arm around Tony, whose head had fallen to his chest sometime during sleep. Bruce poked his head into the room, looking slightly healthier than he usually did and Steve granted him a smile.

"We've got dinner on the table. Thor and Loki brought BBQ from Texas. It's still hot and there's like 20 lbs. of French fries. But I figured you might want to try to get some food in him," Bruce said and glanced at Tony. Everyone knew that the inventor tended to avoid eating when in the lab. Steve nodded and began to shake his partner awake, gently running his fingers through dark hair.

"We will be out in a moment," Steve said calmly as Tony jumped awake, like he always did after one of his insomniac marathons. Bruce vanished through the door before Tony was awake enough to get angry or embarrassed about him having been there. He was barely okay with Steve seeing him in such a state and they had been together for nearly 8 months.

"Oh, God, what time is it?" Tony asked, pressing his fingers against his eyelids and sighing.

"It's 6:30 PM and there's BBQ for dinner straight from Texas. Let's go eat and then we can get a shower and get some real sleep. How's that sound?" Steve asked, kissing Tony on the cheek, ignoring the prickly stubble. Tony gave a weary smile and nodded, turning his head to give his boyfriend a proper kiss before they hobbled out of the bedroom together, bodies stiff from awkward sleeping positions.

The rest of the team had already dug into the food, but it was obvious that Loki and Bruce had defended a decent portion for the two latecomers. It wasn't a courtesy normally given in their household, Thor could eat as much as Tony did in a week for a single meal and Hawkeye had a hollow leg. Natasha was gone on some messed up mission and Steve missed her dearly, she was much better at keeping everyone in line than he was.

"Thanks guys," Tony said happily accepting the plate that Loki pressed into his hands and the can of Dr. Pepper that was shoved his way. Loki just smiled at Tony briefly before turning and jabbing at Thor's wandering hand with his fork. Perfectly normal dinnertime behavior in the Avengers household.

"So what were you working on down there anyway?" Clint asked as he passed yet another box of fries in Tony's direction. Tony blinked at him and stared for a long moment, his eyes saying that he could have been just as ready to answer the question as to ask where all the ketchup had gone.

"I've been designing a new transport vehicle for our flightless team members. Something that can fly regardless of what the bad guy of the day is doing to the atmosphere or temperature. I'm not looking forward to frozen fuel lines ever again. It was only chance that Thor and I were able to get everyone out safely. I mean, sure we could hope that Loki is there to just poof us elsewhere, but I would rather not take the chance," Tony said and the group rolled their eyes. It did seem like almost every other week the villains were finding a way around their safety protocols and Tony was killing himself to make sure it never happened again.

"You could let other people help you know," Loki said and Bruce grunted in agreement. Neither of them liked the fact that Tony, though open with the use of his lab, was hesitant to be anyone's teammate in a project. Both understood why, but neither thought that it was a very good reason, or that it was good for the team to keep indulging in Tony's insecurities.

"I could. I suppose," was Tony's only response. The smile that crossed Steve's face was one of relief. If Tony were more willing to accept help then maybe they would be able to spend more time together as a couple. He hadn't pushed the issue before because he didn't want to make Tony feel like he needed the help, but with Loki insisting, maybe they were actually going to get somewhere.

"I'm a physicist and Loki has knowledge of science so advanced its freaking magic. We won't blow up your lab or ruin your plans," Bruce assured, finally wrestling the ketchup away from Clint. The archer had a well-known addiction to the tomato based condiment and an even greater aversion to mustard. Had Natasha been home, half of Clint's fries would have been coated in the yellow stuff and he would have given them up with a grumble.

"I know that. I will give you guys a rundown of the schematics tomorrow and maybe you can give me a hand with a few issues I've been having. But I think Stars and Stripes here might have my head if I don't sleep first," Tony said with a tired smirk. Steve ruffled his partner's hair and gave him a little nudge with his elbow, his silent 'I'm proud of you' gesture.

Eventually they all settled into a conversation about some of the new recruits that Natasha was apparently out scouting for. Everyone participated except Thor, who had learned not to speak with his mouth full and as such rarely spoke at meal times. The team was infinitely grateful to Loki for his little shock therapy sessions because they could now confidently take Thor out to eat in public places.

"You ready to get some sleep Tony?" Steve asked after Tony's third plate of fries, which had been doused in ketchup and seasoning salt. He was going to have to pour a gallon of water into the other man to deal with potential dehydration if that was how he was going to eat after 4 days of sleeplessness.

"Yes mother hen," Tony said with a little grin, allowing Steve to pull him away from the table. It was Clint's night to do dishes and Tony had been trying to hang around long enough to watch the spectacle. But Steve was right, Tony had almost fallen asleep in his food and it didn't seem wise to keep himself awake any longer.

"You just going to shower when you wake up?" Steve asked, watching Tony undress with unsteady hands, but not offering to help until the dark haired man began pulling at buttons instead of undoing them.

"Yeah. I don't stink that badly," Tony muttered, groaning slightly at Steve's hot hands on his skin as they slipped into bed together.

"Sleep well love," Steve said and kissed Tony on the lips. The billionaire smiled and tucked himself down against Steve's chest. The Super Soldier watched as the Arc Reactor slowly grew dimmer until it was a soft glow. It was like a built in stress detector, near as Steve could tell from the data he had collected over their time together. But it was so good to just hold onto Tony again that he didn't think about it as much as he normally did. He just buried his face in Tony's hair and fell asleep.

(A/N: And there you go. I like domesticity, and you don't get any more domestic than dinnertime and sleepytime. I hope you liked it though. Leave me a review to let me know what you thought.)


End file.
